In 1997, the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate techno-religious cult who’d committed suicide were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

Ten years ago: The Senate approved a $2.2 trillion budget that provided less than half the $726 billion in tax cuts President George W. Bush wanted. Former Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan died in Washington, D.C., at age 76.

Five years ago: Behind the Pentagon’s closed doors, U.S. military leaders told President George W. Bush they were worried about the Iraq war’s mounting strain on troops and their families, but indicated they’d go along with a brief halt in pulling out troops during summer 2008. The space shuttle Endeavour landed at Cape Canaveral, Fla., ending a 16-day mission.

One year ago: Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Cuba in the footsteps of his more famous predecessor, Pope John Paul II, expressing great affection for Cubans on both sides of the Florida Straits and heartfelt hopes for reconciliation.